Following the success of their Euro 2020 campaign, England is one of the favorites to win the 2022 World Cup, and Southgate is under pressure to end the country’s 54-year drought for a major international title. Iran will be trying to get past the group stage for the first time in its history when they compete in its sixth World Cup.
England to Win-to-Nil: In the opening match of Group B, England is the heavy favorite to defeat Iran, therefore we’re betting on Southgate’s team to do so while maintaining a perfect record. Given their impressive performance at Euro 2020, England will face high expectations in Qatar, provided they can withstand the stifling heat. Although England should win easily on paper, we have seen powerful teams struggle in the early rounds of major tournaments in the past. However, the English are up against a team from Iran that only has a small number of players who play in one of the top five European leagues, and they have a formidable defense that kept five clean sheets in Euro 2020.
Harry Kane to Score First: It will be up to England’s captain, Harry Kane, to produce the goals needed to advance his team to the next round of the World Cup, and we’re betting on the prolific scorer to open the scoring against Iran on Monday. As of right now, Kane has a staggering 50 goals in 73 appearances for England, four of which he scored at Euro 2020. One of Europe’s finest scorers will be difficult for the Iranian defense to contain in open play, and they cannot afford to concede a penalty because Kane is an expert from 12 yards out.
England’s Chance:
England: Although Southgate has selected a lineup for the World Cup that is similar to the one that did so well at Euro 2020, there are several instances in which it seems the England manager has prioritized reputation over fitness and form. Players like Dean Henderson, Ben Chilwell, Reece James, Tyrone Mings, James Ward-Prowse, Fikayo Tomori, Tammy Abraham, Jarod Bowen, and Ivan Toney aren’t going to Qatar.
Due to his outstanding performance, this season, James Maddison and Callum Wilson both made the team. Conor Gallagher, Kalvin Phillips, and even Jordan Henderson were included, but their participation has drawn some criticism because the first two have dealt with injuries this year, and Gallagher has yet to display the kind of form that made him famous last season while on loan at Crystal Palace.
Iran: Omid Ebrahimi is out due to injury, but Iran has largely kept the team that everyone anticipated they would. All but three of the team selected to travel to Qatar have at least ten international appearances under their belts, and the other two are backup goalkeepers. Ehsan Hajsafi, who will captain the defense and has 121 caps and 7 goals for Iran, is the sole centurion on the team. Mehdi Taremi of Porto is the guy who England should pay close attention to because he is a natural goal scorer who can forge opportunities out of thin air.
For more World Cup 2022 Predictions, keep watching this space.
